PEACH-TREE. 231 



peach on the other. Peaches may be distmguished into iwo general classes, 

 namely, those which separate easily from the stone or nut, caWed freesfoucs, and 

 those, the flesh ot" which adheres to the sliell of tiie stone, and are called cling- 

 stones. This species being most frequently raised from seeds, it is easy to con- 

 ceive that the fruit must be of an endless variety, scarcely two trees producing 

 alike. Hence it would be useless even to attempt an enumeration of them. 'I'lie 

 foHowing variations, however, are widely dill'erent, in respect to some of their 

 characters, and may be described as follows : 



1. A. p. L^vis. Smoofh-s/chied Peachy or Nectarine-tree. Of this variety there 

 are two sorts, one witli the fruit parting from the stone, {Pec/ie lisse, Frendi.) 

 and the other with the flesh adiiering to it {Briignon, French.) As a standard 

 in the open garden, it forms a smaller and more delicate tree than that of the 

 peach. In dissecting the flowers of the nectarine, the germs may readily be dis- 

 tinguished from those of the peach, in being smooth and shining, while those of 

 the latter are always villous, or covered with fine hairs. 



2. A. p. FLORE PLENo. Double-Jlowcred Peach-tree. This variety may readily 

 be distinguished by its double flowers. It is also of less vigorous growth than 

 most of the single-flowered varieties. 



3. A. p. ALBA. White-flowered Peach-tree^ known by its pure-white blossoms. 



4. A. p. FOLHS VARiEGATis. Variegnted-leuved Peach-tree. 



5. A. p. COMPRESSA. Plat-fruited Peach., a native of China, and is chiefly 

 remarkable for the form of its fruit, and for being nearly evergreen in its leaves. 



6. A. p. SALiGNA. Willow-leaved Peach-tree. This tree is described by Mr 

 Royle in his " Illustrations of the Botany, and other branches of Xatural History 

 of the Himalayan Mountains," as growing in the district of Bissehur. and is 

 called there, by the natives, bhemee. The fruit, though small, is represented to 

 be juicy and very sweet. 



Geography and History. It is not certain in what part of the globe the peach- 

 tree was originally produced; for, although we have early accounts of its being 

 brought to Europe from Persia, it does not follow, from thence, that it was one 

 of the natural productions of that country. Pliny relates that it had been stated 

 to have possessed venomous qualities, and that its fruit was sent into Egypt by 

 the kings of Persia, by way of revenge, to poison the natives; but he treats tliis 

 story as a mere fable, and considers it the most harmless fruit in the world : that 

 it had the most juice, and the least smell of any fruit, and yet caused thirst to 

 those who ate of it. He expressly states that it was imported by the Romnus 

 from Persia ; but whether it was indigenous to that cotmtry, or sent thither tioni 

 a region still nearer to the equator, we have no information. He adds that it was 

 not long since peaches were known in Rome, and that there was great ditliculty 

 in rearing them. He also informs us that this tree was brought from I'^gy])! \o 

 the isle of Rhodes, where it could never be made to produce fruit: and Iron) 

 thence to Italy. He says, moreover, that it was not a common fruit either in 

 Greece or Natolia. No mention, however, is made of it by Cato. Pownall. in 

 his "Roman Provinces," makes it a Phoca;an importation to Manseilles; and 

 evidently it was cultivated in France at an early period, as Columella, in his 

 account of this fruit, says : 



"Those of small size to ripen make prreat haste ; 

 Such as f^reat Gaul bestows, observes due time 

 And season, not too eajl)-, nor too late." 



The peach is said to have been first cidtivated in Britain about the middle ol 

 the XVIth century. Gerard describes several vari(Mies of it as growing in his 

 garden, in 1597. Tusser nuMitions it in his list (if iViiits in lo."^?: and in all 

 probability, it was introduced when the Romans had possession of that country, 



